Adult Group Snowboarding Lesson at Breckenridge Resort

Breckenridge Ski Resort, nestled in the heart of the Colorado Rockies, boasts North America's highest chairlift and great snowboarding lessons

After buying the Cali Pass for Mountain High, I started tossing around the idea of flying to Colorado to visit college friends and take advantage of the pass’s access to Powder Alliance resorts. I originally thought about snowboarding Loveland Resort or Cooper Mountain. But after staring at a map – and realizing that I was already booked at the gorgeous Hotel Alpenrock Breckenridge, Curio Collection by Hilton – it felt right to take another snowboarding lesson at Breckenridge Resort.

After getting caught in a surprise blizzard at Mammoth Mountain with Deja, I realized that no matter how much class time or on-snow practice I got at Mountain High, there was still a very real gap between riding comfortably with an instructor and actually feeling confident on my own. And since Loveland had already ended their adult group lessons for the season, the decision became even easier. Before I knew it, I was booked for what would become my 10th session in the snow – and my very first at Breckenridge.

Getting There + Checking In

I literally walked from Hotel Alpenrock Breckenridge to Base 9 / Beaver Run in under five minutes, snowboard in hand and snow boots on.

Checking in was a little confusing at first, but a kind staff member pointed me in the right direction. I grabbed my group lesson ticket, my lift pass, and soon enough I was in class.

My instructor, Ryan Maciuba, who turned out to be not only super knowledgeable but incredibly encouraging.

 The Class

It hit me during class just how far I’ve come since strapping into my board for the very first time at Mammoth. Over time, I’ve gathered little gems of wisdom from each instructor I’ve worked with. With this, Ryan added some truly impactful insights.

Right away, he adjusted my stance and suggested leaning into my front foot more, instead of staying centered or trying to balance too evenly across the board. This forward lean helps engage your edge and commit to the ride. But Ryan also emphasized that it’s just as important not to lock your body or stiffen up. I also realized my front foot binding needed degree adjusting, so I could naturally lean with better control.

That small tweak made a huge difference. Suddenly, I felt a bit more relaxed, a lot less afraid of falling, and even started moving with more dynamic flow.

Ryan introduced us to the concept of “edge, edge, pressure,” which quickly became my mantra for clean turns: tilt onto your edge, transition to the next edge, and apply pressure to shape and power the turn. It might sound simple, but once it clicks, it’s almost… sexy.

We also worked on getting off the gondola more smoothly, by using a bench to simulate the actions. He guided us to place both feet on the board, push off, and lean forward. It takes some practice, but that feeling of balance eventually settles into muscle memory.

We covered core techniques like tilting – which is rolling the board onto the toe or heel edge – but not having it stick in the snow. It’s more like leaning a bike into a turn. He also taught us twisting, which involves pressing differently with your front and back foot to rotate the board lengthwise. Ryan’s version of this: “Five toes down, five toes up, then ten toes to stop.” It helped me really feel how to control the board with subtle footwork. Then there was pivoting, using my hips and legs to rotate the board without relying entirely on the edge. Practicing that helped a ton with skidded turns and quick directional changes. And, it allowed me to realize where I was over using my arms to stop.

Another breakthrough came with understanding foot-to-foot pressure. Instead of riding stiffly with all my weight locked on one leg, I learned to shift it fluidly from my front foot to my back foot throughout a turn. That change alone made my riding feel smoother and more intentional.

Ryan also introduced us to the concept of vertical pressure, using up-and-down movement to influence the board. For instance, I’d been accidentally whipping my hands around my body when trying to stop. Ryan had me focus on pivoting with a slight crouch, then extending my body to release pressure – helping me stay balanced and more in control. Like I said, the little things.

One of the most valuable things Ryan encouraged us to do was to visualize our goals. He asked what kind of riders we wanted to become: Did I want to ride for speed? To do tricks on a freestyle terrain? Did I want to learn how to move through trees and moguls?

Thinking, I realized that my goal is to confidently ride through trees and moguls with my friends without eating shit.

It was also a sweet moment when one of our classmates shared that her brother was proposing on the mountain that day. The whole class got to congratulate the family, once they skied down. Ryan even offered suggestions of local dining spots to celebrate –  which just added to the joy of the experience.

Ryan took time to explain the different levels of snowboarding as well. Right now, I’m at about a Level 3, focusing on starting and stopping my turns. Level 4 means you’re riding green runs comfortably, Level 5 is for confidently riding blue runs, and Level 6 is when you can navigate moguls and trees with ease. He made it sound very doable. Plus, for my follow up, he gave me some homework: find a video showcasing snowboarding techniques that I’d like to learn and pick some pro snowboarders to study.

After class, Ryan gave me some detailed feedback that meant so much. He wrote, “Excellent snowboarding today Kimberly! You applied what you learned last time by getting centered on the board and from there you were able to move pressure to the nose. Great observations on how pressure over the nose of the board affects steering and balance. Also great use of vertical pressure for balance during stopping… major progress in extending hips and spine to get more pressure on the toe edge.”

He ended with a nudge: “I know I can help you get to Level 6–7… just practice and key coaching.”

We also chatted about Breckenridge Distillery, and after hearing about their bourbon aged in rum barrels, I knew I had to check it out.

Overall

I honestly enjoyed my lesson at Breckenridge more than my time at Vail Mountain. The vibe is a little more relaxed, and Ryan’s ability to teach a range of skill levels really stood out. I came in wanting to learn how to toe -stop properly while looking uphill, and I left with a deeper understanding of how my board works – and how my body can guide it.

I’ve also realized I prefer riding on powder over ice. Falling and getting up in Breckenridge snow is a whole different experience compared to Mammoth Mountain. It actually felt more similar to Mountain High, especially with the sunny weather and variable snow conditions. Ryan also recommended I get my board waxed, which I’ll definitely look into before my next ride.

All in all, class with Ryan didn’t just improve my technique, it helped me actually understand what my board is doing and how my body can guide it. He truly was awesome at breaking things down in ways that made sense. Plus, he guided me from taking the idea of being a perfect rider and being too hard on myself.

It’s not that serious. It’s supposed to be fun.

Overall, I’m starting to move more fluidly. I left class feeling more connected to my board, excited, confident, and ready for my 11th ride – at Palisades Tahoe.

- -